‘How do you explain—’ interrupted someone at the front.
‘He hasn’t yet been missing for twenty-four hours,’ snapped Chelnikov. ‘The school has notified the authorities that a student did not return to the school last night. That is the only action that needs to be taken now. Yusuf has an adventurous nature, so it may well be that his night simply caught up with him.’
A few titters ran round the classroom, and Chelnikov very nearly cracked a smile.
‘But what about his wallet, sir?’
‘Perhaps he lost it in circumstances he’s embarrassed to admit. Now, all speculation will cease, at least in my classroom. Do you understand?’
He was right, thought Cassie as she tried to focus on her textbook. Yusuf was adventurous. Ranjit, meanwhile, she was sure now, was simply trying to worry or hurt her. She’d given Ranjit a pretty harsh kiss-off the other night; maybe he thought that if he scared her enough, she’d come around. That she’d magically realise she missed him, and agree to go along with his plan … Oh, who knew? Cassie really didn’t know what to think.
Isabella, however, wasn’t so uncertain when they left the class together. ‘This is crazy,’ she said firmly. ‘Two students vanishing into thin air? Something’s not right. The school should do something.’
‘What would they do? Look, you heard Gospodin Chelnikov. Yusuf hasn’t even been missing that long. And he’s a risky type. He’ll be back. Ranjit too.’
‘I’m a little surprised you are so complacent,’ sniffed Isabella. ‘Especially with Ranjit one of those missing. I mean, aren’t you worried at all? If it was me …’
Cassie sighed in exasperation. ‘Look, Ranjit isn’t even my boyfriend any more. It’s not up to me to chase him around! Of course I’m worried but there’s not much I can do about it, is there? I’m sure he’ll turn up and then I’ll just be left feeling foolish.’
‘All right, Cassie, all right. Let’s not fight about it.’ Isabella linked her arm through Cassie’s. ‘Why don’t we go somewhere on the mainland? Do something to take our minds off it all?’
‘Well, funny you should mention, actually. Uh, Ayeesha and some of the others were talking about going across to Beyoglu.’ Cassie cleared her throat, embarrassed again. ‘You know, hang around Cukurcuma, do some shopping. Shall we go with them? I kind of said I’d go …’
‘Oh, how could I possibly resist hanging out with the Few? I could carry their shopping bags.’
Cassie raised an eyebrow at her roommate’s snarky tone. ‘You sound just like—’
‘Hmm?’
… Jake, thought Cassie, finishing her sentence in her head. Even with Isabella’s improved outlook, it probably wouldn’t be tactful to mention him, especially if she was trying to persuade her friend to come along with them to the mainland. Instead, Cassie grinned.
‘Anyway, don’t be stupid. We’ll probably have to club together to carry yours! But listen, seriously, Isabella, I won’t go if you don’t fancy it.’
‘In that case …’ Isabella paused, then laughed. ‘No, come on, let’s go!’
This hadn’t exactly gone to plan, Cassie had to admit to herself as the six of them negotiated the busy, chic little streets of Cukurcuma. Things had started off OK as they explored the sleek, modern, glass-fronted furniture warehouses which butted up against the historical buildings of sand-coloured stone, and she’d been enjoying looking at the beautiful, vivid upholstery materials piled high in antique stores together with vintage marble basins and intricately weaved carpets. But it was becoming increasingly apparent that Isabella was starting to feel a bit left out in the midst of Cassie’s attempts to integrate more with the Few.
‘What about this vanity table, ladies?’ India said as she eyed a beautifully carved dresser in a small boutique off one of the cobbled streets.
‘Seems appropriate,’ Isabella said, barely making an effort to keep her comment under her breath. Cassie gave her a warning glance.
‘Yeah, looks good,’ she said, ignoring her friend.
India gritted her teeth, visibly annoyed by Isabella’s snipe, and turned to the other Few girls. ‘I’ll get it shipped back home then, shall I?’ She wandered off towards the store owner, credit card in hand.
Cassie cringed. Some of Isabella’s mild snarkiness was starting at times to turn into outright confrontation, and she felt a little caught in the middle. The other girls weren’t exactly being as inclusive as they could have been, to be fair. All in all, the tension was putting a strain on the outing. Cassie had begun to regret inviting Isabella a little. But just thinking that gave her a jolt of guilt. After all Isabella had done for her. After all Isabella had sacrificed …
Mind you, at least Isabella wasn’t looking so miserable now. There was a sharpness and a spark to her moodiness that was oddly reassuring – more like the old, feisty Isabella – even if it was a little unnerving. Her attitude reminded Cassie more and more of how confident and spirited Isabella had been in previous, happier terms, when a certain someone was the focus of almost all her energies. In fact, if she didn’t know any better, Cassie would think Jake had been in touch with her roommate …
But of course he hadn’t. Cassie would have known soon enough if he had. Isabella would have woken her up at two am, jumping for joy on her head.
Still, an atmosphere was an atmosphere, and she could have cut the one between her and her roommate with a blunt knife. But she had to befriend the Few, and Isabella knew that. Besides, some of them were really decent people, like Ayeesha. Cassie respected them, she liked them, and it wasn’t really as if she had a choice in any case. Isabella could surely understand that?
Cassie couldn’t even use retail therapy as a means of distraction in the way that the other rich girls at the Academy could. While they gasped and giggled over yet another mind-blowing, wallet-defying handbag, and Isabella made critical comments about their taste, Cassie tried to focus only on her surroundings. Something besides the tense atmosphere between the girls was making her uneasy, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. A certain movement, something pricking her senses, but she couldn’t think what.
Estelle, she thought, can you feel that?
Yes, my dear, came the anxious reply, but Cassie’s ‘conversation’ was interrupted by more bickering amongst the girls. She convinced herself that it couldn’t be anything too serious, or Estelle would have alerted her to it sooner. Anyway, it was silly, because this part of town was outrageously pretty. The lanes wound down steps between old houses with prettily painted shutters and window boxes that overflowed with geraniums. Yet all Cassie could think was that the splashes of scarlet looked so much like spattered blood. When a petal drifted down to the cobbled street, she found herself dodging it.
And then she felt it.
A watcher.
She turned, narrowing her eyes.
No way. She was imagining things; her nerves were shot, that was all. She was on edge because of Isabella and – oh, everything else. Who’d be trailing her round Cukurcuma? It couldn’t be …? With a mixture of hope and irritation, she waited to feel that familiar prickling sensation, but she wasn’t sure. Was it there? Was she just on edge and imagining it? Estelle remained unhelpfully silent. Perhaps it wasn’t Ranjit then, she thought, irritated at her disappointment.
But then who?
Cassie forced herself to take an interest in the discussion about Umit Unal’s latest gowns, aware she was being hyper-cheerful, and ridiculously keen to draw Isabella and the Few girls into a simultaneous, friendly conversation. And trying to forget that feeling too – that between-the-shoulder-blades, indefinable itch. Falling silent for a moment and drawing away from the gaggle of girls, Cassie turned slightly to peer over her shoulder. Again, nobody was there.
But no. She was sure she’d been right the first time. The force of the stare was almost tangible. There was no way, with her heightened Few senses, she could be mistaken. She could even tell where it was coming from. Behind and to the
right.
She raised her head to search the shuttered windows, but the sun was in her eyes and he was downwind, whoever he was. Her entire body went still.
Somebody’s watching us …
We’re imagining things, Cassie insisted unconvincingly to herself and to Estelle, shaking her head fiercely. She couldn’t see anyone.
And hard on the heels of that thought, she wondered why she kept trying to talk herself out of her own instincts.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Guilt, my old friend, Cassie thought. There you are again. It was partly Isabella’s sulkiness, she told herself. If the girl hadn’t started getting so moody about her doing what she had to do, Cassie might not even have hung out so much with the Few. As it was, she found she was enjoying their company more and more over the past few days, despite it making her feel doubly bad about Isabella.
Gathering her strength as the students sprang up when the lunch bell sounded, Cassie decided to make an effort to hang out with her roommate after their art class.
‘Isabella,’ Cassie said, turning to her friend. ‘Wanna grab some lunch?’
Isabella gave a quick, distracted smile. ‘Yeah, just a sec.’ She turned as Alice tapped her on the shoulder, and they began a quick chat.
‘Cassie!’ Cormac called. ‘Coming to the common room?’
‘Actually,’ Ayeesha interjected, ‘I think we should head to the cafeteria today. The chef from that great restaurant, Rami, is guesting today, and his hünkar begendi is my favourite!’
‘Oh, definitely!’ Cormac said, smacking his lips as he took his girlfriend’s hand.
‘Cassie?’ Ayeesha said expectantly.
‘Uh, hang on. I should wait for Isabella.’ Cassie looked back towards the classroom, where Isabella was still chatting to Alice.
‘Oh, yeah. Fair enough.’
Cassie watched as the pair joined with some more Few students and made their way down the corridor. She sighed. Most days now after classes – with which she was making a much bigger effort, since it (nearly) stopped her thinking about anything else – Cassie found herself hanging out with the Few, and she almost felt regretful that she’d said she’d wait behind. The common room, for example, had begun to feel more and more like a haven: enclosed, secret, safe. The little luxuries it offered didn’t do any harm either. Of course, there were still people there who loathed her, but it was surprising how easy it was to ignore them. They didn’t even bother her any more; she found she could ignore their glares and exist in a bubble of superiority that drove them half demented. She knew she and, most importantly, her spirit were the equal of any of them, and better than most. She didn’t have to care. And of course, there were plenty of them she liked.
When Isabella finally wrapped up her conversation with Alice and returned her attention to Cassie, there was a slightly awkward silence as they made their way over to the cafeteria. Cassie frowned at the thought that she wouldn’t be able to speak easily with her friend. She cleared her throat.
‘So, what was Alice saying?’
‘Oh, more boy trouble,’ Isabella said, smiling a kind of private smile that made Cassie feel oddly excluded.
‘Right. As usual.’ She couldn’t resist a dismissive tone. It seemed as though Isabella was more interested in what Alice got up to at the moment than what was going on with her supposed best friend. Luckily, Cassie’s rather stormy mood brightened when they reached the cafeteria and she saw the table of Few gesticulating for her to join them.
‘Look, there are the guys,’ she said with a wave, and began to make her way over automatically.
‘Um …’ Isabella began, hesitating.
‘What’s up?’
Isabella glanced over to another table, where Alice and another girl were sitting. ‘It’s just … well if you were going to sit with Ayeesha and everyone again, then maybe I might go and make sure Alice is OK?’
‘Oh. Right. Yeah if you’d prefer …’ Cassie said, trying not to look hurt. What was it with Isabella lately? She was trying her best to include her, but she just wouldn’t bite.
‘Well, yeah. But I’ll see you later though, right?’
‘Yeah, see you later.’ Cassie tried to force a smile and what she hoped passed for a jovial wave, ignoring the strange sensation of she and Isabella walking to opposite sides of the room to be with other friends. Well, they weren’t joined at the hip, were they?
‘Hey, guys,’ Cassie said as she made her way over to the Few table, but she couldn’t inject much enthusiasm into her voice.
‘Cassie! Grab a tray. Seriously, this chef is amazing,’ Ayeesha enthused.
‘Yeah, I’m not really hungry,’ she replied, irritation bubbling up inside her.
Ah, but we will be, my dear. You know I’m all for asserting our position amongst the others, but we must be careful to keep our feeding source happy …
Cassie frowned at Estelle’s interjection. She was annoyed enough at how the day was going without her putting her two pennies’ worth in. All she’d done was jump through hoops to keep everyone happy, especially Isabella. But she had to draw the line somewhere, concentrate on her own happiness. If that meant hanging around with the Few, then Isabella would just have to lump it.
OK, there was the Jake and Jessica thing. OK, so Isabella still felt loyal to Jake and his crazy quest for justice – or his definition of it. But it wasn’t as if the likes of Ayeesha or India had had anything to do with his sister Jessica’s murder. Of the girls who had actually done it, one was dead, and one expelled and scarred for life. Katerina and Keiko didn’t represent the whole of the Few, for goodness’ sake. The Few were so much more than a couple of twisted individuals like them.
Cassie was just shaking herself from her internal rant when a shadow fell over their small group at the table.
‘Ladies.’
‘Sir Alric.’ India raised her eyebrows in surprise. ‘It’s unusual to see you here.’ She smiled tentatively, glancing at the boys animatedly play fighting at the other end of the table.
He nodded. ‘I thought I might take a sample of the food as we have a guest in the kitchen today.’
‘Yes, indeed. Delicious.’ Ayeesha couldn’t get the puzzled look off her face, and Cassie couldn’t agree more. She didn’t like the way Sir Alric kept glancing over at her, inquisition burning behind his eyes.
‘How are classes going?’
Funny question in the middle of lunchtime, thought Cassie, though India and Ayeesha seemed eager to take this rare opportunity to impress their elusive headmaster. If only her own conversations with Sir Alric were so infrequent. She eyed him closely as the girls around her chattered their responses enthusiastically. He narrowed his eyes once more at her, though he ostensibly addressed all three of them.
‘I see Mr Singh is still not gracing us with his presence.’
‘Maybe one of the boys might know where he is? Better than we do, anyway,’ India said, glancing down to Cormac and his friends.
‘I doubt that. In any case, boys are not as sensitive to things as you are, am I right? I thought some of you ladies might have an instinct about where he’s been lately.’
Cassie couldn’t help noticing he was once again looking almost exclusively at her. She felt a creeping uneasiness – was he accusing her of something?
‘You know as well as I— as well as we all do. Ranjit’s a law unto himself. It’s hardly unusual that he’s cutting classes, always has. That’s not our fault. He comes and goes as he pleases. Stands people up when he feels like it, too,’ she added bitterly.
Even some of the Few girls looked shocked at the way she spoke to Sir Alric, but he wasn’t baited.
‘Well, I’ll keep an eye out,’ he said lightly. ‘No doubt our elusive friend will turn up sooner or later.’ His intense gaze bored into Cassie. ‘But if you do happen to spot him, tell him I would like a brief word.’
As soon as Sir Alric had gone, Cassie made her excuses, said goodbye to the other girls and headed for her room. He
’d managed to rile her, and worse, he’d reawakened all her anxieties. On top of everything else, she was growing more and more alarmed about the state of her relationship with Isabella. If nothing else, she wished she had her friend around to vent to.
To her relief though, it seemed Isabella had felt bad about lunchtime too. She greeted her roommate with a wide, apologetic smile as Cassie shut their door and slumped on to her bed.
‘So. That was a little awkward earlier. I’m sorry, Cassie. I guess we just need to adapt to each other’s new lifestyles now, move onwards and upwards, no?’
Cassie sighed. ‘Definitely.’
‘Well, to seal the meal once and for all, how about our girls’ night in? Smuggle in a bottle of champagne … And I’ll get caviar, smoked salmon. Blinis! We can have a picnic. Listen to some music. I’ll give you all the gossip from the non-Few. How about it?’ Her eyes were bright with mischief, but underlain with anxiety.
‘You’re on.’ Cassie felt her mood lift. ‘Blinis are my favourite! You can get some here?’
‘I can always get anything.’ Isabella squeezed her arm. ‘This will be good fun! Just you and me and my make-up case.’
Cassie’s heart sank, and not just at the thought of leaving her face to Isabella’s mercy. ‘Wait, but you don’t mean tonight though, right?’
‘Yes, tonight! No time like the present, Cassie Bell.’ Isabella grinned and began scrolling through her mobile phone contacts. ‘I’ll call my father’s favourite hotel here, see if they can spare some supplies for their favourite client’s daughter.’
‘Oh, Isabella, I’m sorry.’ Cassie could hardly bring herself to say it. ‘I said I’d go to a … a Few party tonight.’
‘Again?’ Isabella couldn’t disguise her disappointment. ‘Where …?’
‘Another island. It’s between here and the Asian side. I’m really sorry, Isabella. We’ll take a rain check, though. Is that OK?’
Darke Academy 3: Divided Souls Page 8